The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) legal and (b) financial obstacles to immediately changing the colour of UK passports to blue.
Brandon Lewis
There are no immediate plans for changes to the format or colour of the UK passport. Parliament will be informed of any changes in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 18 October 2016 to Questions 47623 and 47624, for what reasons officials of his Department met with the Administrator of Norfolk Island when the governance and administration of that island is a matter for Australia.
Alok Sharma
Pursuant to the Answer to Question 49602, officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office met the Administrator of Norfolk Island to discuss , in the context of both countries’ relations with small island communities, our relationship with the Overseas Territories. The United Kingdom and Australia are close partners and Ministers and officials from both countries regularly discuss a wide range of issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the introduction of the National Living Wage does not have a detrimental effect on small businesses.
Nick Boles
The Government is reducing Corporation Tax to 19% from 2017-18 and then to 18% from 2020-21; setting the Annual Investment Allowance at a new permanent level of £200,000; and increasing the Employment Allowance by £1,000 to £3,000 from 2016-17. The increase in the employment allowance means a business could employ four people on the National Living Wage and pay no National Insurance Contributions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Israeli/Palestine peace process of Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at the United Nations on 30 September 2015.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
President Abbas’ speech at the 2015 UN General Assembly underlines the urgent need for progress towards a two state solution. We urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to work together to meet their obligations under the Oslo Accords. We also encourage Israel and the Palestinian Authority to continue with their existing security cooperation. I was encouraged to hear that President Abbas reiterated his commitment to this cooperation when he spoke, on 9 October, to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that employers use the correct pension classification code and pay their due amount as contributions.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes detailed guidance for employers on the GOV.UK website about National Insurance Contributions category letters.
https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance-rates-letters
All employers with an occupational pension scheme receive a reference number (Employer Contracted-Out Number) from HMRC. This allows the employer to use specific category letters which indicate that they are paying contracted-out contributions when they make their Real Time Information returns to HMRC. There are also automated checks in place to identify if an incorrect category letters has been used and these are then followed-up with the employer.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on food prices in the UK.
Anna Soubry
An independent assessment of the potential economic impact of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on the UK was carried out for the Government by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). This assessment demonstrated that TTIP offers an enormous economic benefit: in growth, exports, high quality jobs and reduced prices, worth up to £10 billion a year to the UK economy.
The CEPR study did not look at food prices specifically but it projects that output in our agricultural sector will be largely unaffected by TTIP.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support refugee camps near the Syrian border in order to tackle the root causes of migration to Europe.
Justine Greening
DFID works to give Syrians hope and opportunities, so they will not have to risk their lives fleeing the region. The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. To date, we have pledged over £1.1 billion, our largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis. Beyond addressing immediate needs, the UK is working with host countries to support their long-term resilience and expand opportunities for refugees, for example through funding to Lebanese and Jordanian municipalities for the running of essential public services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to promote commemoration of the 600th anniversary of the battle of Agincourt; and what plans his Department has to ensure that similar anniversaries are appropriately commemorated in the future.
Tracey Crouch
In the March 2015 budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that £1millionmwould be allocated for the commemoration of the 600th anniversary of the battle of Agincourt.The fund is administered by the Agincourt 600 charity,providing grants for events and Agincourt related educational projects. DCMS officials have been working closely with Agincourt 600 in the run up to this important anniversary.
TheGovernment and the Heritage Lottery Fundmade the decision towilldeliver a £10million mcontestable fund to ensure that similarhistoricanniversaries are appropriately commemorated.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the recent announcement by President Putin of a Russia-led Central Asia taskforce, what assessment he has made of the security implications for (a) NATO and (b) the conflict against the Taliban.
Michael Fallon
We are aware of this statement. The Russians have not released any details of such a task force.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding has been made available to each local authority in London and Essex to resettle refugees in each of the next three years.
Richard Harrington
On 2 October local authorities received a letter to confirm that the first 12 months of a refugee’s resettlement costs (under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme) are fully funded by central government using the overseas aid budget. To ensure that local authorities can plan ahead and continue to respond to the overwhelmingly generous response of the British people, the Government will also provide additional funding to assist with costs incurred in future years. These arrangements will be applied to all cases since the 20,000 expansion was announced.
We do not currently operate any of our other resettlement schemes in London and Essex.